Season's greetings
by lady of the wilds
Summary: Bunny has received a letter from an old childhood friend who he hasn't seen in nearly 800 hundred year and she's coming for a visit. But things have changed since they were both children. That is all except the spirit of Autumn herself (OCxBunny NOT A ROMANCE) ***ON HIATUS***


**Season's greetings**

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"Will ya stop moving around ya nipper. I'm almost finished"

The small egglet squirmed and fidgeted in his paw but Bunny was patience when it came to his eggs and dutifully continued with his work.

It was the middle of the summer season in the world above. The days were getting longer and the warm rays from the sun and the geothermal energy of the earth below provided all the heat any heat-loving mammal could want. It was just a shame that there wasn't much he could do down here.

Spring was over, Easter was just over half a year away, and he couldn't start on his Easter eggs just yet. The heat of the warren would melt most of them before they could be release to the world and besides, the closer they were prepared to the Easter the better they tasted.

The only thing he could really do to pass his time was tend to plants that grew thick and green throughout the subterranean oasis and give his all year round eggs the care and attention they needed. In truth, this was one of the things he did look forward to during his quieter months.

With all his Easter eggs gone, his warren was quite and empty. That is all except for the stone guardian eggs that stood sentry at the tunnels and his own little personal army of egg assistances.

Army properly wasn't the right word to describe the little group of brightly decorated eggs. They were more like North's elves; normally causing trouble where ever they went, getting underfoot and just generally being more of a nuisance then actual help but bless them they tried.

And now that their master was free from all other distractions, they thrived in his attention. The egg in his paw squeaked and wriggled as the fine bristles of the paintbrush tickled its hard outer shell.

"I told ya to stop fidgeting. You're going to make me smudge it and then what will the rest of your mates think eh?" dipping the paint brush into a pot of deep green Bunny put the last of the finishing touches to his little friend. A light blue letter N shone brightly against the newly painted green on the shell and the small golden zigzags running horizontally around the fat little egg pulled it all together.

"They ya go mate. Good as new" Gently bunny lowered his paw to the table and release his grip on the egg letting it tumble gently out of his hand.

The egg squeaked in excitement, glad to finally be finished and proudly strutted around the table showing off its new paint job. The small cluster of eggs that had been waiting rather impatiently for their own turn huffed at their friend, jealously admiring the work gone into it.

"Alright ya show pony that's enough of that." He said with a smirk and gently dropped his paw on top of the prancing egg, halting its show boating and keeping it still. "You'll end up scrambled if you keep dancing around like that"

Although he would never say it out loud, this egg was one of his favourites and had been around longer then any of the others had. Unlike his Easter eggs that were destined to be eaten by happy children his own personal assistances were not made from chocolate. What they were made from wasn't entirely clear even to the Guardian himself but there were things that stood them out from the rest of the little walking troublemakers.

For one they could make noises, something that his other eggs couldn't do. It was really only high-pitched squeaking they could make and the odd little growl but Bunny had leant how to interpret their squeaks and chirps to the point it had almost become a second langue. Another thing that set them apart was their durability.

They were tough little guys capable of being dropped without so much as a crack. He had found that out accidentally when he had tripped over some of the troublemakers and sent one of the little nippers flying across the room and crashing into the wall of his burrow. The kick hadn't done too much damage but the egg still hadn't forgiven him for that one.

However, the most important thing that made them special was how aware and self-conscious they were. They were always trying to please their master and were surprisingly good at following orders and carrying out tasks. That is when they weren't fighting among themselves or getting in the way. They each had their own personally and own thoughts and of course, each had their own name. He couldn't command his little assistances without at naming them.

The little green egg still prancing on the table, despite already being told once, was named Nell.

Nell was his oldest egg and held more responsible jobs then the others did. He mainly kept the Easter eggs in order and made sure that none wandered through the tunnels before they were painted. He also kept the rest of the assistance in check whenever he was called away from his warren.

"Okay which one of you troublemakers is next?" Bunny asked, washing his paintbrush in a pot of clean water and opening another batch of fresh bright paint. The little eggs shoved and pushed each other out of the way trying to be the first to get the giant rabbits attention. They all chirped like excited birds at feeding time. Bunny couldn't help but laugh at their noisy attempt to get his attention.

"Alright, alright you'll all get your turn. Don't start bickering otherwise I might just send ya all to work and none of ya will get painted."

That did the trick. Instantly the noise ceased and the over excited eggs settled down. Bunny waited a few moments longer, annoying the little assistances with his slowness then finally put his paw on the top of the table palm up. All at once, they moved but a dark blue egg with a faded yellow B was faster then the rest and leaped into his open palm with a satisfied squeak.

The others skidded to a halt, a few even bouncing off his hand and falling over themselves with little startled and irritated yelps. Putting his brush down Bunny quickly pushed the fallen one back onto their feet before they had a chance to start rolling all about the place. He didn't want any of them taking a tumble off the edge of his worktable. Sprites know he did not need another egg that held a grudge with him.

From his soft warm paw, the blue tinted egglet stood up straight, taunting his fellow eggs and showing off smugly.

"No one likes a show off Berg." he scolded gently and picked up his brush again. He gently turned the egg around in his hand, taking note of the fading colours and bits of flaking paint. He gave all his helper new paint jobs every year, sometimes changing their designs or just adding little lines and swirls here and there. Berg's paintwork looked to be in need of a good repaint and polish. His yellow B printed on his shell was barely noticeable anymore.

"How'd you little blighter manage to wear your colours out so quickly?" He asked with a smirk as he dipped his brush into a pot of dark blue paint. "Now let's see, I think we'll stick with your normal colour. Maybe just add a few spirals here and there. Sound good you to?"

The egg named Berg chirped eagerly from his hand earning a laugh from the guardian. "Alright pipe down and keep still. I don't want ya moving around like Nell." Berg squeaked contently and tried to keep still as the first strokes of bright paint touched his shell.

On the table the others settled down impatiently awaiting their own turn to be pampered. Strutting around them the newly painted Nell squeaked tauntingly at his companions, enjoying the feeling of being painted before them.

Bunny could see him out of the corner of his eye as he worked. Nell was a real show off at times and stubborn as hell. He was almost as bad as Jack was sometimes but thank the moon none of his assistances had powers like the spirit of winter otherwise he'd really be in trouble.

Speaking of the walking snowman, he had promised to go and help him around North's place. The jolly Russian was forcing them all to spend a few nights at his icy palace. Some sort of bonding thing to try and make them spend quality time together. Everyone was going and North had threatened to personally come and collect anyone who didn't arrive on time.

He had toyed with the idea of not going anyway but he knew North was as good as his word and would physically carry him back to the cold pole. Luckily he still had a few good hours before he was due to make an appearance, plenty of time to finished painting his little mates and give the warren a quick once over.

In his hand Berg purred happily, enjoying the feel as Bunny's steady hand started to paint long following swirls of sky blue paint across one half of his shell.

The Guardian of Hope chuckled. "That feel good mate? Once I'm done will you lot I'm going to beheading up to the pole so you lot will have to keep an eye out for me. You guys know the drill and if Frostbite sneaks in here while I'm gone just hunker down and wait him out. He can't freeze ya if he can't find ya." he shook his head at the memory.

His poor little helpers had taken ages to calm down after the mischievous winter spirits last visit. At least this time Jack would be around where he could keep an eye on him. The first sign of him trying to sneak off he would tie the kid up with tinsel and place him on top of one of North's many gigantic Christmas trees. He would make a lovely tree topper.

Putting aside the thoughts of the ankle bitter and all the chaos he would surely bring he set his brush down and gently let Berg go on the table, half his shell shining with fresh bright paint.

"Well there's half of ya done mate. Just give it a few seconds for that side to dry then I'll finish you off." The egg danced excitedly and started to run around in small circles in hopes of drying the paint quicker. While Berg was busy doing that, he made himself busy with washing his brushes. Another hour and he should be finished.

Loud squeaking and banging suddenly erupted from the edge of the table causing Bunny to jump nearly a foot in the air. On the table all of the eggs including Berg and Nell had rushed to the very edge of the table's corner where they were all causing one hell of a commotion.

"What has gotten into you lot? I haven't finished painting you all yet" frowning he got up off his seat and leaned across the table with the intent to pull them all back before they could fall but stopped short when he spotted a small pink egglet jumping up and down on the floor with a letter tied around it's shell.

Shifting his weight, he quickly reached down, scooped the egg up in his hand, and placed it on the table. Immediately the pink egg (with a black F printed on it shell) ran at him squeaking urgently all the while.

"Whoa, whoa, calm down Fuchsia. I can barely understand what you're saying." With a huff, the little egg forced itself to stop fidgeting and calmly as she could, relayed the message she had for her master.

Bunny listened intensely as the egg told him what had happened. "A letter? Are you sure it's for me?"

This was quite peculiar. North was the only one to ever receive letters, all from children of course but still. Not since his day of becoming a Guardian had he ever seen or heard about the others receiving mail. As if to prove him wrong Fuchsia jumped around so Bunny could plainly see the folded envelope tired to the leather holster she always wore. Printed in small scruffy letters the name Aster stared out at him.

Now he was even more confused. Nobody called him Aster anymore, not since he was a child. Curiously, he untied the letter from Fuchsia and took a closer look at the paper.

That was defiantly his name scrawled in black lettering but he did not recognise the handwriting.

Whoever it was from did not have the neatest handwriting in the world.

Turning the envelopes over he was surprised to find the address of North's home written on the corner in the same scruffy handwriting. Someone obviously thought he was living there, or maybe they were taking a wild guess and just hoping it would somehow make its way to his paws. There were also a number of folds and creases cutting through the paper and faded smudges of ink smeared here and there. Looks like the letter had been through quite a lot to get to him.

"Who do you suppose would be sending me a letter" He wondered out loud, not really asking anyone in particular. In front of him Fuchsia chirped, telling him in her own langue that the letter had been given to her by one of North's most trustworthy elves. That would explain how it got here but it still didn't solve the mystery of who sent it and why.

"Well guess there's only one why to find out" Taking a deep breath Bunny ripped the top off the envelope in one swipe and pulled out the crumbled paper from within. The next few minutes passed in complete silence as all the egglets watch with baited breath as he read and re-read the letter clutched tightly in his hand.

"Crikey! I have to go!" He shouted alarming the eggs huddled around him. With the letter still clutched in his paw, he threw himself away from the table and bolted from his burrow faster then had done in years. The eggs shrieked furiously at their master's sudden and unexplained departure. This was supposed to be the time of year where he paid attention to them and now he was running off and leaving them still unpainted! Berg ran furiously around the table, half his shell still dull and peeling. The only one not squeaking and shrieking in anger was Nell.

This was one of the times it paid to be quicker then the others. Smugly the bright coloured assistance calmly and purposely strutted around his friends. If eggs were capable of laughing Nell would have been in stitches as the chorus of anger growls increased tenth fold.

However, Bunny had long passed out of earshot of his helpers. Quicker then any animal could ever hope to match he raced towards the tunnels that lead to the world above and drove into the one that would take him north to the frozen tundra of the pole.

He was going to kill North when he got his paws on him.

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What do you guys think? Would you like another chapter or should I just quit this? Please leave a review if you have the time :D I would love to know if you think it's worth continuing?

Remember this isn't going to be a Oc romance between Bunny but rather a brotherly, sisterly friendship sort of fic.

Also I have to point out that I have a lot of trouble with grammar and spelling and relay on the grammar and spell checker to bail me out so if there are many mistakes I'm sorry but this is about as good as I can get it.


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